SimpleRMD helps you calculate and organize Required Minimum Distributions using IRS life expectancy tables — so you can feel confident you did it right and move on with your year.
Most people don't struggle with the math once they see it. They struggle with everything around it: finding the right inputs, understanding the rules, and wondering whether anyone is double-checking the result.
Why We Built It
RMDs create a very specific kind of stress. You have to gather information you don't keep handy — birthdates, year-end balances, inherited IRA details. The rules change, especially for inherited accounts. The penalty for getting it wrong is real (25% of the shortfall). And in most cases, your broker and your accountant are both relying on you to supply the details.
SimpleRMD was built to make the process straightforward, repeatable, and easy to share with the people involved — your spouse, your family, your accountant. Enter your information once, get an accurate result, and export a clean report you can hand to your CPA. Next year, your inputs are saved and waiting.
What SimpleRMD Does
SimpleRMD uses the IRS life expectancy tables to calculate your Required Minimum Distribution based on the information you provide. The calculator is free to use and requires no account.
Beyond the free calculator, the paid plan ($99/year) adds the features that make RMDs a once-a-year task instead of a once-a-year headache: saved inputs so you don't start over every year, support for multiple accounts and inherited IRA scenarios, clean CPA-ready PDF exports, and deadline reminders so December 31 doesn't sneak up on you.
If you've inherited an IRA — especially under the post-2019 rules — the inherited IRA calculator handles the 10-year rule, annual RMD requirements, and beneficiary classification so you don't have to untangle the regulations yourself. See: Inherited IRA RMD rules
What SimpleRMD Does Not Do
SimpleRMD is a calculation and tracking tool. It does not provide tax, legal, or investment advice. It does not replace your accountant or financial advisor. It does not pull money from your accounts or act as a broker.
We built it to give you accurate numbers and organized reports — the kind of preparation that makes your conversation with a tax professional more productive, not unnecessary.
How We Keep It Reliable
We believe the best way to earn trust is to show the work. SimpleRMD uses the same IRS-published tables and formulas your accountant would reference — and we document exactly how the calculations work so you can verify them yourself.
- How SimpleRMD works — the full process, step by step
- Is this calculator accurate? — our methodology, what we test against, and how we handle edge cases
- RMD tables explained — how the IRS life expectancy tables work, with walkthroughs
The inputs are clear. The logic is easy to follow. And we tell you what we can and can't do.
Who's Behind It
Trigg Thorstenson
Trigg Thorstenson
I built SimpleRMD after years of managing RMDs and repeatedly hitting the same wall: re-gathering inputs, re-learning rules, and wondering whether the result was actually right.
My background is in markets — over 20 years as a professional options trader at the CBOE, CBOT, and CME, where I founded and ran a proprietary trading firm. Precision and repeatability were the job. Simple RMD brings that same mindset to a process that's more complicated than it should be.
Rome Thorstenson
Rome Thorstenson · Developer
Rome built the platform. He graduated from Yale in 2025 with two compound majors — Mathematics & Computer Science, and Philosophy & Economics — which turns out to be a pretty good background for turning IRS tax code into software people actually want to use. He's also the founder of Rafter.so, a venture-backed startup. At SimpleRMD, he owns the calculator, the infrastructure, and the accuracy.
If you have feedback, suggestions, or a scenario you want covered, reach out at trigg@simplermd.com.
Ready to try it?
- Run the calculator — free, no account required
- See how SimpleRMD works
- For financial advisors & accountants
SimpleRMD is an educational tool. It is not tax, legal, or investment advice. Always consult a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.